In sausage linking machines, the sausage is comprised of a mixture or an emulsion which is not a liquid or a solid but rather a semi-liquid. The emulsion has a high viscosity and resists sudden changes in form or shape.
In conventional linking machines, a sheared or folded casing is placed on the horn or stuffing tube of some form of stuffer and the sausage emulsion is extruded from the horn into the casing to fill the casing. The pressure to which the casing is filled depends on the amount of drag which is applied to the casing at the end of the horn to retard the flow of the casing. The applied drag may be in the form of the operator's fingers slightly pinching the casing against the end of the horn or it may be in the form of a chuck apparatus. In all cases, drag is applied to the casing and the amount of drag will influence the amount of pressure which is built up in the filled casing. In other words, the flow of the emulsion is balanced against the flow of the casing to achieve the desired tightness in the stuffed casing.
There may be additional factors which influence the flow of the casing, and in turn the pressure, such as in some machines which use a linking chain to pace the flow of the casing but the drag from the chuck is necessary to build up enough pressure in the casing to give it strength enough to enable the linking chain to support the same. In all cases, the flow of the casing is controlled by applying a retarding force to the outside of the casing which, in turn, controls the pressure to which the casing is stuffed. One of the difficulties in using drag on the casing to influence pressure is that the drag causes considerable tension in the delicate casing, and when the casing is collapsed and twisted for linking, the casing may be stressed beyond its maximum limit and break.
Additionally, the inertia of the emulsion as it is being extruded from the stuffing tube must be overcome to slow the emulsion down to the speed of the casing and such inertial force creates an additional strain on the casing.
In linking machines which twist the casings to link the same, the rotational drive is applied to the casing from outside the casing in one manner or another. Frequently, the fragile casing will break due to the rotational torque being applied to the casing to form the link.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an encasing apparatus wherein a restrictor means is positioned within the emulsion downstream of the discharge end of the stuffing tube.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a restrictor means for an encasing machine which spreads and increases the pressure of the emulsion within the casing.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a method and means for imparting rotational torque or drive to the casing from within the casing.
A still further object of the invention is to provide an encasing machine including a restrictor means which reduces the speed of flow of emulsion from the discharge end of the stuffing tube to reduce casing strain.
A further object of the invention is to provide an encasing apparatus including a restrictor means positioned downstream of the discharge end of the stuffing tube which causes the casing being filled to move against the face of the rotating chuck.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a method and means for encasing a product such as sausage or the like which is efficient.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.